Obafemi Martins facts for kids
Martins playing for Levante in 2012
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Obafemi Akinwunmi Martins | ||
| Date of birth | 28 October 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Lagos, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.70 m | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2000 | Ebedei | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2000–2001 | Reggiana | 2 | (0) |
| 2001–2006 | Inter Milan | 88 | (28) |
| 2006–2009 | Newcastle United | 88 | (28) |
| 2009–2010 | VfL Wolfsburg | 16 | (6) |
| 2010–2012 | Rubin Kazan | 20 | (3) |
| 2011 | → Birmingham City (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | Levante | 21 | (7) |
| 2013–2015 | Seattle Sounders FC | 72 | (40) |
| 2016–2018 | Shanghai Shenhua | 40 | (19) |
| 2020 | Shanghai Shenhua | 4 | (0) |
| 2020 | Wuhan | 6 | (1) |
| Total | 361 | (132) | |
| National team | |||
| 2004–2015 | Nigeria | 42 | (18) |
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Obafemi Akinwunmi Martins (born 28 October 1984) is a Nigerian former professional footballer. He played as a forward and was known for his amazing speed on the field.
Martins left Nigeria for Italy when he was just 16 years old. He went on to play for many top football clubs across Europe and in other parts of the world. He started his senior career in 2002 with Serie A club Inter Milan. Later, he moved to Premier League club Newcastle United in 2006.
He also played for Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg in 2009 and Russian Premier League team Rubin Kazan in 2010. While with Rubin Kazan, he was loaned to Birmingham City in 2011. He then played for La Liga club Levante and Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer from 2013 to 2015, scoring 40 goals. Martins spent several years playing in China for Shanghai Shenhua and Wuhan.
During his club career, Martins won several important titles. He won the Serie A title and the Italian Cup twice with Inter Milan. With Birmingham City, he scored the winning goal in the 2011 Football League Cup Final. He also played in European competitions like the UEFA Champions League. For his country, Nigeria, Martins played in the Africa Cup of Nations in 2006, 2008, and 2010, and in the FIFA World Cup in 2010.
Contents
Obafemi Martins: A Football Star
His Early Days in Football
Obafemi Martins started his football journey at a local club called F.C. Ebedei in Nigeria. A manager named Churchill Oliseh discovered him playing football on the streets of his hometown. After playing for Ebedei for a year, an Italian club, A.C. Reggiana, became interested in him.
After a three-month trial, Martins and his teammate Stephen Makinwa signed youth contracts with Reggiana in 2000. In his first season in Italy, Martins quickly joined the first team. Soon after, big clubs like Perugia and Inter Milan wanted to sign him.
Playing for Inter Milan
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Inter Milan signed Martins in 2001. In his first season with their youth team, he scored 23 goals, helping them win a youth league title. Because of his great performance, he made his first team debut on 22 December 2002 against Parma.
Martins became a regular player for Inter Milan in the 2002–03 season. His manager, Héctor Cúper, gave him his first chance to play in the UEFA Champions League. He even scored his first Champions League goal against Bayer 04 Leverkusen, which helped Inter reach the quarter-finals. You might have seen videos of his amazing somersault celebrations, which UEFA even used to advertise the next season's competition!
In 2005, Martins signed a long-term contract with Inter Milan. He scored six goals in the Coppa Italia, including three goals in one game against Bologna. Inter won the Coppa Italia that year. He scored 22 goals in 45 matches that season, which was his best personal record at the time. Even though he was successful, scoring 28 goals in 88 league games for Inter, he was sold in August 2006. This happened because Inter brought in two new star strikers, Hernán Crespo and Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Time at Newcastle United
On 24 August 2006, Martins moved to Premier League club Newcastle United. He signed a five-year deal and was given the famous number 9 shirt, which belonged to club legend Alan Shearer before he retired.
Martins played his first Premier League game on 27 August. He scored his first goal for Newcastle on 17 September against West Ham United. From then on, he started scoring goals regularly.
In January 2007, there were rumors that Chelsea wanted to sign Martins because of his great form. However, Martins said he wanted to stay at Newcastle. On 14 January, he scored a powerful shot from 20 yards against Tottenham Hotspur. This shot was so fast, it was unofficially one of the hardest shots ever recorded in football! He finished his first season with Newcastle with 17 goals in 46 games.
His second season was a bit different. New managers preferred other strikers, so Martins often came on as a substitute. Despite this, he kept scoring goals. He scored six goals in 12 league games in the first half of the 2008–09 season. However, a hamstring injury kept him out of several games. He returned for the last two games of the season, scoring against Middlesbrough. Sadly, Newcastle was relegated that season. Martins played 104 games for Newcastle, scoring 35 goals in total.
Moving to Germany and Russia
On 29 July 2009, Martins joined Bundesliga champions VfL Wolfsburg in Germany. He signed a four-year contract. In his first game for Wolfsburg, he came on as a substitute and scored a fantastic goal, dribbling past defenders and finishing calmly.
On 9 July 2010, Martins moved to Russian Premier League champions Rubin Kazan. He signed a three-year contract. He told BBC Sport that he was excited to join a team of champions. On 9 May 2012, Rubin Kazan won the Russian Cup, which was Martins' first trophy in Russia.
Winning the League Cup with Birmingham City
In January 2011, Martins joined Birmingham City on loan. He wanted to be closer to his family in England. He made his debut on 12 February and scored his first goal for the club in an FA Cup match.
Martins scored the winning goal in the 2011 Football League Cup Final against Arsenal at Wembley Stadium. He came on as a substitute in the 83rd minute. With only one minute left, there was a mix-up between Arsenal's goalkeeper and a defender. Martins took advantage of the loose ball and tapped it into an empty net. He later said it was "the easiest goal I've ever scored in my career"! After this, he suffered a leg injury that kept him out for several months.
Playing in Spain and the USA
On 13 September 2012, Martins moved to Levante in Spain. He signed a two-year contract. He scored his first goal for Levante in his league debut on 23 September 2012, which was the winning goal in a 2–1 home win. He scored two goals for Levante in a 3–1 victory over Granada, helping his team reach fourth place in the Spanish league.
On 11 March 2013, Martins signed with MLS club Seattle Sounders FC in the United States. He scored his first goal for the club on 20 April 2013, and of course, he did his famous back-flip celebration!
Martins had a very successful 2014 season with the Sounders. He scored 17 goals, which was a club record, and also made 13 assists. He was named one of the top three players for the MLS MVP and was included in the MLS Best XI. He also won the MLS Goal of the Year for an amazing looping shot from a very difficult angle.
Adventures in China
On 18 February 2016, Martins joined Chinese Super League team Shanghai Shenhua. He scored his first goal for the club on 15 May 2016. Martins played a key role in Shanghai Shenhua winning the 2017 Chinese FA Cup. He scored the only goal in the first leg of the final and a spectacular goal in the second leg.
On 31 March 2018, Martins scored his first three goals in one game (a hat-trick) for Shenhua. However, he suffered a serious knee injury in April 2018, which kept him out of action for a long time. He later left the club.
In July 2020, Martins returned to Shanghai Shenhua for a short time. Then, in September 2020, he joined another Chinese Super League club, Wuhan Zall, on a short-term deal.
International Career with Nigeria
Martins made his debut for the Nigerian national team in 2004 when he was 19 years old. He scored his second goal in the tri-nations Unity Cup tournament in London. He was part of the Nigerian team that finished third in the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, where he scored two goals against Senegal.
Martins captained Nigeria for the first time on 17 November 2007. On 12 November 2009, he scored a fantastic goal against Kenya in Nairobi. This goal helped Nigeria qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. At the World Cup in South Africa, Martins played in two games. Nigeria unfortunately finished last in their group.
In total, Martins played 42 games for Nigeria and scored 18 goals.
How Obafemi Martins Played
Obafemi Martins was known for being a very fast, agile, and strong striker. He was quick with the ball and had a powerful shot. Even though he wasn't very tall, he could jump high. He was also famous for his amazing backflip goal celebrations!
Personal Life
Obafemi Martins had two brothers who also played football professionally. His older brother, Oladipupo Martins, played for Reggiana and other clubs before he retired due to heart problems. Sadly, he passed away in 2011.
Martins is married to Abigail Barwuah, who is the sister of famous footballer Mario Balotelli. They have one child together. His elder son, Kevin Martins, born in 2005, is also following in his father's footsteps and plays youth football for Italy.
Career Achievements
Inter Milan
- Serie A: 2005–06
- Coppa Italia: 2004–05, 2005–06
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2005
Newcastle United
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2006
Birmingham City
- Football League Cup: 2010–11
Rubin Kazan
- Russian Cup: 2011–12
- Russian Super Cup: 2012
Seattle Sounders FC
- MLS Supporters' Shield: 2014
- U.S. Open Cup: 2014
Shanghai Shenhua
- Chinese FA Cup: 2017
Nigeria
- Africa Cup of Nations third place: 2006
Individual Awards
- CAF Most Promising Talent of the Year: 2003, 2004
- MLS Best XI: 2014
- MLS Goal of the Year: 2014
- MLS All-Star: 2015
- Chinese FA Cup: Top Goalscorer: 2017
Images for kids
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Martins in action for Seattle in 2014
See also
In Spanish: Obafemi Martins para niños
